Tumbling-figure toy.



Patented 0c 5 B. VIE-THEER.

TUMBLING FIGURE TOY.

APPLICATION FILED MMI. 3. I9I5.

IBLANCH VIE-THEIER, OF MARSHFIELD, OREGON.

TUNNING-FIGURE TOY.

specificati@ of Letters Patent.

Patented (Det. 5, 19115.

l Application le March 3, 1915. Serial No. 11,926.

To all whom t may concern."

Be it known that I, BLANCH VIE-THEER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marshfield, county of Coos, and State of Oregon, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tumbling- Figure v Toys,of which the-following is a specification. A

My invention relates to tumbling 'figure tovs.

nThe presentv invention is an improvement on those tumbling figure toyswhichv comprise an elongated holder, dressed or configured to suit thefancy, in which is a rolling ball or sphere which produces, by itsrolling movement and arrest, a tumbling or end-over-end movement when itis placed on any inclined surface.

My improvements consist, first, in the provision of an open endedcylinder with cloth, fabric or similar heads or ends therefor to receivethe ball or sphere as it rolls to the respective ends of the cylinder;second, in a construction such as specified wherein the cloth, fabric,or similar head for the outer end of the cylinder is constructed orarranged, or designated 'as thevhead portion of the toy and the flexiblecloth,.fabric or equivalent head for the inner end ofthe cylinderconstitutes a portion of the body or torso of the figure represented bythe toy; third, a tumbling figure toy wherein the inner end ofthe tubeor cylinder is provided with a .flexible cloth, fabric or equivalenthead which is adapted to receive the rolling ball or sphere when the toyis held in an upright. position or when it assumes such position, thedistention of the said flexible head being thereby made to constitute aportion of the torso or body of the figure represented by the toy.

Asf distinguished from thosev previously known tumbling toys employing acylinder and a rolling ball or sphere, the open ended cylinderconstruction and loose fabric or flexible head and bottom which Iprovide in my toy in combination with the rolling ball, gives to the toya more lifelike and animated aspect than is possible with tumblingfigure toys having rigid or. only slightly fiexible solid heads for thecylinder and the attractiveness of the toy as an object of interest isthereby increased.

While I do not limit myself thereto, I preferably carry out theinvention in a tumbling toy wherein the head of the figure Ais providedby the fabric or loose diaphragm for the outer end of the shell orcylinder and the lower end of the body ortorso is constituted by theinner, flexible, fabric head or end of the shell' or cylinder and thetoy 1s preferably provided withvr iexible legs and arms and may haveother clothing to enhance the attractiveness thereof.

My invention is fully described hereinafter and recited in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a detail perspectiveillustrating the toy when tumbling downan incline surface; Fig. 2, anelevation of the toy; Fig. 3, a vertical section thereof; and Fig.l 4, across section, the arms being extended.

The body of the toy is provided with a tube or shell l of any suitablestiff and light material which is preferably made from a blank bent into.cylindrical form with its edges 4over-lapped as at 2 and secured bysuitable fastenings such, for instance, as a cord 3. The tube or shell,as thus provided, is of cylindrical form andis entirely open at itsupper end 4 and lower end 5 so that the ball or sphere 6 may rollthrough the said open ends 4 and 5, but in practice, the ball or sphere6 usually only partially-projects through said open ends. I have foundcelluloid to be well adapted for use as the body or shell 1, because itdoes not easily crack or break and has the requisite iexi bility so thatit will maintain the cylindrical form.

For the respective outer and inner open ends t and 5, I provide heads 7and 8 of flexible material, such as cloth, or other fabric and as aconvenient means of attaching these parts and also to assist in thedress or make-up of the toy, the cloth head 7 is extended for nearly thefull length of the tube l or the full length thereof, if desired, in theform of a sheath or an envelop completely covering said shell. The clothend 8 is suitably connected to the envelop 9 by stitching 10. Theenvelop embraces the shell 1 sufficiently tight to maintain iltself insubstantially the position shown in ig. 3. l

In its broadest aspect, my invention is not limited to any particularform of dress of the toy and embraces the open ended shell l and thecloth or iexible heads 7 and 8 in' combination with the ball or sphere 6which is adapted to roll freely within the tube or shell l and into theheads 7 and 8.

eol

I am well aware that the toy is complete and operative as thusconstructed, even if having no superficial special contour orornamentation.` I prefer, however, to make the toy in the simulation ofa figure of more or less fantastic appearance. The outer portion of theenvelop 9 may be provided with a face 11 and with a fringe of hair 12.lThe body may be dressed with a waistcoat 13, collar 14, coat 15A havingflat and flexible arms 16 and, in addition thereto, fiat and flexiblelegs 17 may be connected to the head 8 and 'they will preferably be ofthe same material as said head 8 to have the appearance of being coveredby trousers. When the sphere or balll is in the head 8, it distends saidhead and gives the same the appearance of the lower portion of the torsoof the toy and, similarly, when said sphere enters the flexible head 7,it distends said head. Other forms of dress may be resorted to andmodifications employed within the spirit and scope of the invention.When the toy is placed on an incline, as shown at 18, for instance, Fig.1, it will either slide down said incline without tumbling, if the angleof inclination is not suitable or, if the angle of inclination is justright, the rolling of the sphere or ball 6 from end to end of the tube 1andA its impactive reception in the heads 7 and 8 will cause the toy tohave an end-over-end or tumbling action which is very grotesque andamusmg.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire'tolsecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tumbling toy, the combination of a tube or cylinder open at bothends, of cloth, fabric or similar heads or ends for the cylinder, and aball or sphere arranged to roll within the cylinder into the cloth orfabric heads or ends thereof.

2. In a tumbling figure toy, the combination with a cylinder having bothof its ends open, of a cloth, fabric or similar end for the head portionof the toy, and a cloth, fabric or similar end for the other end of thecylinder and arranged-to constitute the lower portion of the bodythereof, and' a ball or sphere adapted to roll in said cylinder and intothe cloth, or fabric ends thereof to thereby distend the said ends.

3. In atumbling figure toy, the combination with a tube or cylinderwhich is open at its inner end and has a head portion at its outer end,of a cloth, fabric or simila.y covering, closure or pouch for the openin ner end of the cylinder which constitutes tne lower portion of thebody of the figure, and a ball or sphere adapted to roll in saidnylinder and into the saidend or pouch and adapted to distend said endor pouch.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

l BLANCH VIE-THEER. Witnesses GUY WARNER,

CLAUDE NASBURG.

